Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1887-08-25
A Case for Champagne.

Secretary whitney should bee grateful
4. Admiral Luce Instead Of following
up m> crushing rchuke with whitening
-arca~ul> and stern rcproachr> Oh the quar-
tor-drck At Bar llarhor, he should fall up
un hi neck and embrace him nv ittluS-
IL the Admiral hae rendered the Admins
tratlou and the Secretary great >erN 'cr
They had ~ent him 10 Halifax with the
squadron without furnishing him with
definite instructions Canadian cruisers
ayrrr coa>tiug along the fishing grounds
with orders to hara~s the American rsh-
ng-r,,,t II seemed 10 DE the proper
thin. to have some counter display ~
force on thu American side. Even 20
f,rhl. an Administration a. that 81 rank
lin Pierce had sent yes>el--of-War t. The
h>hiug- grounds in similar circumstances,
and the present Administration rightly
considered that il would look we'll and d"
no harm tn have an American squadron in
those waters This summer. w hat course
tA, Admiral Was 10 pursue or what
measures should bc adopted for the pro
lection Of American interests they did not
stop to consider They sent Admiral Luce
north in search Of a policy. He thought
he lad found il after hi> first interview
with Captain Scott and he put it in prac-
tice with more promptne>> and greater
igor than the Administration had dis
plaved during the whole course OF the
fisheries controversy. Unfortunately for
the Admiral it happened To be good an
adam policy but a very poor American pol
icy But hI~ loss was the Adnlnlstra-
tons gain The Secretary who had ne
elected 10 give definite instructions
-nubhed the Admiral for cooperating
with the Canadian coast guard The adj
mjni>tration which had no policy Of lis
OWN displayed it, patriotism by condemn
ID. the AdmiraI'> --un-Americau' proceed
in.~ and Immediately ordered the squad
ron 10 return.
The Canadian press j. furnishing addi-
iiunal capital for the Secretary and the
Administration by cNtrayagant compli-
ment- to the Admiral and course abuse Of
hj> ~uperiors one Of the Halifax jour
nal describes the Secrctary'> order a.
decidedly low ana unbecoming the high
official position he holds" as reminding
one .irre>istibiy Of the whitening sarcasm
of police court -hy~teT That sort Of
writing will tend 10 elevate the Secretary
IN the estimation Of Americans. They
NAV begin u suspect that the Admini>tra-
ton ha- been really acting energetically
and may Ice tempted to forget the plain
fact that il has done nothing but recall
the squadron. Whose commander in the
absence of definite instructions was seek
ing to assist it IN the development of
what he assumed to be its diplomatic pol
icy.
The Administration derives additional
aid and comfort from the Canadian press
when the charge Is made that Mr.. Sec
rotary Whitney and his kind" expected the
Admiral to enter Halifax with the airs of
a stage pirate or buccaneer.7 TO issue
sort of proclamation of war and after
picking a quarrel with the British author
tiles TO send his men to their quarters, to
clear his decks for action and to leave the
harbor in blaze of buncombe glory. II
The Halifax Chronicle is to be believed,
the Administration actually had some no.
ton of protecting American interests and
of appealing to the patriotic pride of the
country; and furthermore the Admiral by
acting like an officer and a gentleman, has
drought down upon himself the censure of
every Yankee blatherskite from ODono-
van Rosa to Mr.. Secretary Whitney"
For this iattering assumption that the
Administration had policy of its own,
and a vigorous one, too, the Secretary
should indeed be grateful to the Admiral.
1t is case for smiles and champagne in
the cabin, in place of frowns and rebuke
on the uarter-deck-Netr York Tribune.